Arabu is eighteen years old but has the worry lines and wear of an old man. He has a severe scoliosis. He lives in Addis Ababa with his brother, but is from the Oromo region in the south. He moved to Addis eleven years ago to continue his education because his school in the countryside stopped at third grade. He lives with his brother in a one-room mud house with electricity but no plumbing, there is only room for one bed in the room. His brother is a tailor and supports himself, Arabu and his family in the countryside, sending them half of his monthly salary of 250 birr or $23.

Asalafew thinks he is probably about 17 years old, but there is no way to know for sure. He is an eleventh grade high school student, and his favorite subjects are biology and English. Asalafew is an orphan from the north of the country. After his mother died in Pawi Hospital, when he was 5, he and his brother grew up on the hospital grounds, assisted by a local Catholic priest. Last year, I was sitting on a domestic fight and happened to meet a visiting internist from America who turned and asked me if I know anything about spines. 8 months later, he returned, bring Asalafew for evaluation. He has severe tuberculosis, with concavities above and below the apex of his lesion. When he finishes school he wants to be a doctor. In the whole world his favorite people are Rick and David, a volunteer who found him in the north. When not in school he loves to draw. His favorite book is a biology book.

Elsa is is 20 years old with significant scoliosis. She lives in Addis Ababa with her grandmother and two aunts. Elsabeth’s father died when she was a baby and her mother’s whereabouts are unclear. Despite these circumstances, Els is hardworking and dedicated, and is now a college student studying economics, specifically purchasing and sales. She has one year left of college and hopes to work in the financial department of a large business in Addis Ababa. When not studying or in class, Elsabeth takes care of her elderly grandmother and does the housework and cooking.

Ferehiwot is a girl in her late teens, but only measures up to my elbow on my 5’3” frame. She walks with a limp from old polio, which also caused a significant scoliosis. Ferehiwot comes in her school uniform which is worn but elegantly kept. An eleventh grade student, when asked which class is her favorite she replies shaking her head, “I couldn’t just prefer one class. I like all of my classes.” When not in school she likes to study. She wants to go to university and study political science. “I just like politics. I want to be in politics.” Ferehiwot’s favorite book is her history textbook. Ferehiwot was born and raised in Addis Ababa and lives in a one-room mud hut with electricity but no plumbing. She lives with her father and four brothers. Her mother died one year ago from an AIDS. Her father is HIV+ but maintains his health with AIDS medicine. Fortunately, Ferehiwot is HIV negative. Now that her mother has died, she is in charge of the house work and taking care of her family. She takes care of the house and cooks and cleans for everyone. Her father was a house guard but now is on pension. He earns 100birr pension per month, about $9. We give here $1 a day for extra food to strengthen her before her surgery.

Henok’s congenital deformity take the form of a sickle-shaped spine and irregularly sized fingers. Each of Henok’s fingers is a different length but that doesn’t make his handshake shy, he shakes my hand with strength and no hesitation. Henok is 15 years old and lives with his mother in the Arat Kilo neighborhood of Addis Ababa. His father died when he was a young boy and his mother supports Henok and his five siblings selling prayer candles on the steps of the local church. The family of six live in a one-room mud house with neither plumbing nor electricity.

Jidda is 16 years old. Jidda does not live in Addis Ababa but has travels the 100 kilometers by bus to meet us for an interview and lung testing. He lives in Adama, a small city south of Addis. His father is a nurse at the local hospital and his mother died about eleven years ago. He lives with his father, brother and sister in a one-room mud hut with electricity but no plumbing. Though only 16, Jidda is in 12th grade because he skipped grades 3 and 4 because he was at the top of his class both years.

A fourth grade student of surprising poise for his age, Kebreisfa loves school but prefers to study at home, he says, because he worries that the kids at school make fun of his Quasimodo-shaped back, and Elfin ears due to congenital scoliosis. His favorite subject is math and he is eager and decisive when telling me that he wants to be a “doctor of the heart.”

Mulu is twenty years old but has the countenance of an old woman and the height of an eight year old. She has an extreme facial deformity that she believes is the result of a bat peeing on her face, as well as severe scoliosis.

Tegodel is from an area of Gojjam, NW Ethiopia, which Zewdie, another of our patients hails from. His dad, a farmer, who grows wheat and maize, can barely get by. He heard about the success of Zewdie’s surgery, asked Zewdie’s dad if he could ask me to see him. After I agreed, his uncle brought him to Addis Ababa about 5 months ago. He has a severe scoliosis and abnormal gait. I suspect that he has 1 leg shorter than the other, and that he too, has old polio. His family of seven lives in a one room mud hut with neither plumbing nor electricity. Before coming to Addis Ababa, Tegodel was in “Priest school” studying to be a deacon. When we ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he tells me he wants to learn. He fidgets with his hands and the edge of the table and will not make eye contact. My nurse, Bayelign, explains to me, "He is shying."

Weynu Ungeh is fifteen years old. She grew up in the Gurage region, but moved to Addis Ababa one year ago because of “the problems with my spine.” She has a form of muscular dystrophy and scoliosis, and walks with a marked limp. In Addis stays with different distant relatives, mostly with her mother’s uncle. Her father died when she was a baby and her mother supports the entire family with the money earned farming their small plot of land. Weynu is one of four children, her three siblings remain in the countryside with her mother. Weynu has never attended school. In the countryside she helped her mother with the farming and tending livestock, and in Addis she cannot afford to go to school because she supports herself by begging. She begs in a neighborhood near the Army Hospital. When I ask Weynu what she wants to be when she grows up she simply replies that when she grows up she “wants not to be a beggar.”

Zerihun is eleven years old, though the strength of his build suggests he is older. His V-shape spine compresses his stature, exaggerating the broadness of his shoulders. He has a marked indentation on the left side of his back, where old TB drained out for months. This proportional disconnect makes him seem like a WWF wrestler about to enter the ring, though his smile softens this illusion and he is quick to make conversation via his brother’s excellent English translation.